1987 Masters (snooker)

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1987 Benson & Hedges Masters
Tournament information
Dates25 January – 1 February 1987 (1987-01-25 1987-02-01)
Venue Wembley Conference Centre
CityLondon
CountryEngland
Organisation WPBSA
FormatNon-ranking event
Total prize fund£200,000
Winner's share£51,000
Highest breakFlag of England.svg  Jimmy White  (ENG) (136)
Final
ChampionUlster Banner.svg  Dennis Taylor  (NIR)
Runner-upUlster Banner.svg  Alex Higgins  (NIR)
Score9–8
1986
1988

The 1987 Masters (officially the 1987 Benson & Hedges Masters) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 25 January and 1 February 1987 at the Wembley Conference Centre in London, England.

Contents

Alex Higgins dominated the tournament. He defeated Terry Griffiths in the first round 5–4, after being 2–4 down, and won the match before his fans invaded the Wembley Conference Centre to greet him similar to his 1985 match with Steve Davis in the same round. He then cruised past World Champion Joe Johnson and Tony Meo before facing fellow Irishman Dennis Taylor in the final, which turned out to be a late night finish. Higgins led 8–5 by the evening session, but Taylor won the last 4 frames to win his only Masters title and his first major title since beating Steve Davis in the 1985 World Championship.

This was the first, and to date only, major final to feature 2 players from Northern Ireland. It also stood as the last time a player from Northern Ireland had won a Triple Crown title for over 30 years until Mark Allen's victory in the 2018 Masters.

Also in the 1987 Masters, Ray Reardon made his last appearance in the competition, when he played Joe Johnson. Cliff Thorburn failed to make it three Masters titles in row, when he lost 5–6 to Dennis Taylor in the semi-final. The highest break of the tournament was 136 made by Jimmy White.

Field

Defending champion Cliff Thorburn was the number 1 seed with World Champion Joe Johnson seeded 2. The remaining places were allocated to players based on the world rankings. Neal Foulds was making his debut in the Masters.

Main draw

[1] [2]

Last 16
Best of 9 frames
Quarter-finals
Best of 9 frames
Semi-finals
Best of 11 frames
Final
Best of 17 frames
            
1 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Cliff Thorburn  (CAN)5
16 Flag of England.svg  Rex Williams  (ENG)1
1 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Cliff Thorburn 5
8 Flag of England.svg Willie Thorne 3
8 Flag of England.svg  Willie Thorne  (ENG)5
9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Kirk Stevens  (CAN)3
1 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Cliff Thorburn 5
4 Ulster Banner.svg Dennis Taylor 6
5 Flag of England.svg  Tony Knowles  (ENG)2
12 Flag of South Africa (1982-1994).svg  Silvino Francisco  (RSA)5
12 Flag of South Africa (1982-1994).svg Silvino Francisco 3
4 Ulster Banner.svg Dennis Taylor 5
4 Ulster Banner.svg  Dennis Taylor  (NIR)5
13 Flag of England.svg  Neal Foulds  (ENG)2
4 Ulster Banner.svg Dennis Taylor 9
7 Ulster Banner.svg Alex Higgins 8
3 Flag of England.svg  Steve Davis  (ENG)2
14 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Doug Mountjoy  (WAL)5
14 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Doug Mountjoy 4
11 Flag of England.svg Tony Meo 5
6 Flag of England.svg  Jimmy White  (ENG)4
11 Flag of England.svg  Tony Meo  (ENG)5
11 Flag of England.svg Tony Meo 2
7 Ulster Banner.svg Alex Higgins 6
7 Ulster Banner.svg  Alex Higgins  (NIR)5
10 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Terry Griffiths  (WAL)4
7 Ulster Banner.svg Alex Higgins 5
2 Flag of England.svg Joe Johnson 1
2 Flag of England.svg  Joe Johnson  (ENG)5
15 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Ray Reardon  (WAL)2

Final

Final: Best of 17 frames. Referee: John Smyth
Wembley Conference Centre, London, England, 1 February 1987.
Dennis Taylor
Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
9–8 Alex Higgins
Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
First session:63–37, 16–89 (56), 49–69, 89–41, 69–33 (65), 48–74, 73–11, 60–40 (60), 22–66, 53–30, 0–113 (98), 63–77, 25–92 (88), 61–50, 118–9 (74), 50–40, 82–0
74Highest break98
0Century breaks0
350+ breaks3

Century breaks

Total: 7 [3]

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References

  1. "1987 Masters Results". Snooker Database. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  2. "The Masters". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  3. "1987 Masters". CueTracker - Snooker Results and Statistics Database. Retrieved 19 January 2015.